The New York Liberty have agreed to a deal with Chris DeMarco to be their next head coach.
Who Is Chris DeMarco?
The New York Liberty have agreed on a deal to hire Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as their new head coach, sources tell ESPN. DeMarco has been with the Warriors since 2012, winning four NBA titles. He also serves as head coach of the Bahamian men's national team. pic.twitter.com/GsQC66f6iV
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 21, 2025
The next Liberty head coach comes from the NBA.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Liberty are hiring DeMarco, a longtime assistant with the Golden State Warriors.
DeMarco edges out other candidates, including Phoenix Mercury associate head coach Kristi Toliver, Brooklyn Nets assistant Will Weaver, and Toronto Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela.
DeMarco has been a coach with the Warriors since 2012, when he joined Mark Jackson’s staff. After Jackson was fired, head coach Steve Kerr decided to retain DeMarco on his staff.
DeMarco, 40, has served as an assistant and player development coach for Golden State’s four most recent NBA titles. He worked closely with Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, helping to manage the Warriors’ defense.
In 2019, DeMarco was named the head coach for the Bahamas men’s national basketball team. DeMarco also served as an assistant coach in the NBA All-Star Game in 2015 and 2017.
DeMarco replaces Sandy Brondello, whose contract expired in September.
DeMarco has huge shoes to fill, as Brondello transformed the New York Liberty into a WNBA powerhouse.
Brondello went 107-53 in four seasons, including a franchise record of 32 wins in 2023 and 2024. Brondello, who is now the coach of the expansion Toronto Tempo, never missed the playoffs as the Liberty’s head coach.
Brondello’s teams made two Finals appearances, winning the 2024 WNBA Championship. The Liberty also won the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup.
The Liberty looked poised to repeat as champions after starting the season 9-0. However, injuries to key players, like Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, derailed their season, which ended with a first-round loss to the Phoenix Mercury.
In September, Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb defended the decision not to extend Brondello’s contract, saying the team needed to evolve.
“These decisions mark fork-in-the-road moments for organizations,” Kolb said via ESPN. “You can stand still or you can embrace change and move forward, and my commitment is to keep pushing the New York Liberty to new heights.”
Liberty’s Outlook Heading Into 2026
Ranking fits wit the squad cause you know they keep it on!🔥🔟 pic.twitter.com/mQe1VdqWzm
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) November 15, 2025
Before the Liberty can focus on the 2026 season, the players and the league need to agree on a new collective bargaining deal.
Once that happens, Kolb can get to work on retooling the roster.
Only two players are under contract for 2026: Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally. Stewart, Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu are all free agents. However, Stewart has already expressed interest in returning to Brooklyn.
